Let these brief videos teach your students. We all know the pace of business and technology is accelerating...in these snappy 2-3 minute videos, the WSJ explains how we got to where we are in the fast moving cellphone, cable, retail and banking industries. Links to the videos are below with a series of questions for your students to answer. Thanks to my daughter for helping me review these videos and coming up with some excellent questions (extra bonus: she said she learned some new stuff too!)

Cell Carriers (2:50)

• Who originally had a monopoly of nationwide landlines?
• Who are the four major carriers and how were they created? Why?
• As the market has become saturated with few new customers, how are the national carriers competing? 

Cable (3:40)

• What made cable television better than broadcast TV?
• Why did high speed internet become a part of the cable bundle?
• Why are companies like Disney now struggling?
• Why are consumers "cutting the cord?"

Retail (2:00)

• How did the retail industry evolve since the early mom and pop stores? 
• How did super stores beat out mom and pop stores?
• Why is foot traffic to malls decreasing?
• What percent of all retail sales are made online? Compared to a decade ago?
• Where do you think the retail industry will be a decade in the future? 

Retail Banking (2:17)

• Who had the first coast to coast retail banking network?
• Why were the big banks useful?
• What event caused big banks to change their business strategy (i.e. Bank of America deciding to close down rural branches)?
• How do retail banks make their products more appealing?

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Be sure to check out the popular NGPF Video Library for a curated set of videos organized by topic. 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.